Ten years ago, the Hualapai Tribe in Arizona signed an agreement with a developer, David Jin, to build a glass Skywalk out over the Grand Canyon. After it was built, the tribe abruptly abrogated the contract; initially a U.S. District Court judge ruled that the tribe was a sovereign nation and could do so. Western First Nations own billions of dollars’ worth of oil and gas, but as the tribes occasionally break ironclad contracts with investors, they scare off future development. Where there is poor governance on the reservation, it leads to impoverishment among the people and exceedingly corrupt tribal leadership. PERC President Terry Anderson sat down with The John Batchelor Show to discuss why business can be risky in Indian Country.
